Mavs Beat Sixers
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PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers were short-handed but scrambling. And for a time the Dallas Mavericks were skittish.
The Mavs overcame a season-high 25 turnovers — 17 in the first half — to beat the Sixers 124-112 on Friday night as forwards Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion scored 25 and 22 points, respectively.
But Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said it was not easy.
“It’s exactly the kind of game that we expected,” he said. “We expected it to be 48 minutes of hell. … You have to adjust to the madness and chaos they’re trying to create.”
The Mavs (33-23) finally did so, shooting a season-high 62.3 percent from the field to win for the seventh time in nine games.
Marion made 11 of his 14 shots from the field and Nowitzki was 9 of 12, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. The five 3-pointers equaled his season high.
Center-forward DeJuan Blair notched 18 points off the Dallas bench, matching his season high.
Forward Thaddeus Young equaled his season best of 30 points for the Sixers (15-41), whose 10-game losing streak is their longest since a 12-game skid during the 2009-10 season. Young also had a
season-high 13 rebounds, seven steals and a career-high six assists.
Guard Michael Carter-Williams scored 25 points and reserve guard Tony Wroten had 21 for the Sixers.
Philadelphia, which made five deals at Thursday’s trade deadline, had nine players in uniform but used only eight. Coach Brett Brown elected to hold out newly acquired guard Eric Maynor while he familiarizes himself with the team’s system.
They nonetheless forced more turnovers than in any other game this season and had 15 steals.
“That’s basketball to me,” Brown said. “That’s the way we have to end this season. It’s kind of kamikaze.”
Philadelphia trailed by 22 points in the first quarter but crept within four at 77-73 on a follow shot by forward Arnett Moultrie with 7:35 left in the third quarter. Dallas pushed its lead to 12 by the end of the quarter, however, as Nowitzki nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Philaddelphia drew no closer than 10 in the fourth quarter.
Besides being undermanned, the Sixers were undersized. As a result, Nowitzki said, “They were kind of junking up the game. They did a good job of doing it.”
Nowitzki scored 12 points as Dallas opened a 37-15 lead with 1:24 left in the first quarter, but the Mavs’ sloppy play triggered the Sixers’ fast break in the second quarter, enabling them to cut the gap.
A three-point play by guard Elliot Williams with 3:48 left in the half brought Philadelphia within five at 55-50, and at halftime the Mavericks’ lead was 69-62.
Nowitzki, who made his first six shots from the field (including three 3-pointers), was 7 of 8 from the floor while scoring 19 first-half points. Guard Monta Ellis added all 11 of his points and Blair had 10.
Young accumulated 15 points, seven rebounds and six steals in the first half for Philadelphia.
